


The Butterfly effect

by Picasso25



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), team Iron man - Fandom
Genre: Civil War Team Iron Man
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-03-26 10:54:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19004314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Picasso25/pseuds/Picasso25
Summary: Tony makes a choice.





	1. Choose!

**Author's Note:**

> So, the Russos irritated me. Again.  
> And for Christ sake don't use terms you don't understand! Butterfly effect while you're talking about time travel, my rounded behind.  
> Just so they could justify that anything they decided was canon, no matter how stupid and nonsensical, not to even mention contradictory to their own lore.  
> Just so Captain America could get the girl.
> 
> Blergh blergh blergh. Hope Carter realises what an ass he is, knees him in the groin and goes her merry way.
> 
> Well, that sort of crap just made me flap my wings, and trust me, considering the size of that butterfly, you'll never see it coming! *grins*

Tony Stark died three times after Siberia.

Which wouldn't have been that bad in itself if it didn't come with a side serving of cliché, of the whole "life before your eyes" variety, he had to re watch the whole debacle, starting from that fateful day in Afghanistan. He even made side trips into Loki's and darling Rogers life. Carol Danvers, too, and Tony thought "well, Platypus will be glad."  
The next time, he saw the present: Ross, the Accords, Siberia... 

Joy.

And the last time, it was the kid getting in trouble, the threat he'd been talking himself hoarse about just to be dismissed, and his death.

Again.

And then two idiots talking it out like it was a movie or something, saying "There's no butterfly effect in the MCU".  
Right.

First, what's the butterfly effect has got to do with time paradox, respect your science, people. No, really.

Second, that was the worse movie marathon he'd ever been forced to endure, and that included the Star Wars movies that shouldnotbementionned. Honest, compared to Rogers, Darth was a peach.

And the fact that this was his fucking life (what was left of it, anyway) was... really tragic.

Now, Tony had noticed that those were not his memories. Heck, he was not present half of the time. At least it gave him an interesting perspective on what had happened, up and including the shitty way the Avengers behaved. Not only toward him, but towards everybody. Heck, Loki and his half-assed (if that) attempt at world domination had a lower body count than Rogers and his merry band in pursuit of the Winter Princess.

Tony almost giggled while picturing Rogers in tights... When realizing it what not that different from his usual getup. Wondered, briefly what was the percentage of Captain America's popularity was due to the spandex. 12% ?

Speaking of Rogers, did it really mean the utter bastard was there, somewhere, knowing everything that was supposed to happen and never lifted his tush from the couch to prevent ANY of it? Up and including his BFF capture, torture, brainwashing and so on. Tony now knew Rogers was an utterly selfish bastard, but that was taking it to another level.

"CHOOSE."

"Uh?" yes, Tony could be articulate. Now, however, was not one of those times.

"CHOOSE" Afghanistan and his stumbling through the desert before Rhodey found him... Himself lying in a hospital bed with beeping machines and tubes going everywhere... or the gauntlet with the stones.

"CHOOSE!" well, okay, he was getting used to weird shit by now. So he chose.


	2. Schrödinger Platypus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony wakes up in hospital and starts to plan, because there's no time to lose.

So, knowing his platypus was going to show up any minute now was not making that little stroll in the Afghan desert any more pleasant, but then, that had been his choice.

If you get to start again, might as well start at the beginning, so to speak.

And considering what he'd just seen, the more time he got, the better. If only to cut a few things down, like the Widow's massive ego, Rogers bullheaded stupidity and Fury's manipulative tendencies, for starters.  
Ha, he heard the 'copters coming his way, and...

"Tony!"

Yep, that was his platypus. Tony knew a great big ball of fire and some explosion would draw him like a moth to a flame. Rhodey may grumble for form, but he LOVED explosions. Actual rocket scientist, after all, people.

But between the Siberian showdown, the movie marathon from Hell, and his post Afghan cave body, Tony wasn't feeling too good. The minute he felt Rhodey propping him up, he managed to point at his chest and say "don't let them poke at it, Sugarplum, I need that."  
Felt Rhodey lift what was left of this tee, heard "Oh, Tones..." and then blissfully passed out. He was protected.

When he woke up, he was comfortable, or at least as comfortable as one could be on an army issue med bed, and Rhodey was slightly dozing on a chair at his side. He avoided moving, recalling what Peps had told him afterwards, how relentlessly his honey bear had looked for him during his captivity, pushing all the buttons, calling all the favors and then some. Of course, he was tired!   
And Tony had put him on protection detail, so as soon as he moved, he would...

"I'm awake, you idiot."

"But..."

"You stopped sounding like a buzz saw." Was the somewhat terse answer. Tony gasped in outrage.

"Are you suggesting I snore? I am feeling so maligned right now!"

"And apart from that, how are you feeling, really? And what is that... contraption, and why do you *need it*?"

His platypus was not in the mood to be beating around the bush, so Tony explained. Well, the cliff notes version, at least, before catching his eyes.

"Rhodey, we got to talk."

"Isn't it what we're doing?"

"And by WE, I mean, *we, the United States of America armed forces*. I blew up all I could in there when I escaped, but there were a LOT of SI weapons in those caves. We've always had that problem with fakes, but this is different. This is genuine stuff, and not a little of it.   
Someone has been back door dealing at SI, and considering the stuff they had access to in that hellhole, it's someone very high up. This is BAD, Rhodey bear..."

"One to ten?" Rhodey answered, resorting to something that could be used to rank explosions, alcohol, the latest Stark screw up... And had done so faithfully since MIT.

"Depends. At least 8, and you may want to up it a notch when you learn their backer wanted me killed initially. They decided to keep me around so I could build them a Jericho."

Rhodey blanched, went out of the room like jet-propelled, came back with a burly MP, and was out again like Schrödinger Platypus.

Besides the somewhat amusing hijinks, it was the first thing Tony had decided to change. Going lone wolf with Iron Man, not to mention his decision to shut down the weapons division, had been a very bad decision, looking back on it.

First, it had cost him the Army support, which in turn had isolated him and made him a prime target for all those assholes out there, Fury, Natashalie, SHIELDRA and all the gang.

So yeah, he'd stopped making weapons.   
Not that anybody had been grateful. The Army, as expected, had been collectively pissed. So had the board, even without Stane muddying the water for all he was worth (not much).

And it's not as if it had changed anything afterward. He had STILL been making weapons, except just for a very limited bunch of morons... Leaving regular forces to the likes of Hammer industries, which, ouch.

And it's not as if he'd been able to turn that page either. Iron Man or not, the press loved to dust up the "Merchant of Death" thing regularly. And the Avengers...   
Considering the roaster consisted of people who either worked, had worked, or were still working with the military... And add to that a pair of professional assassins, well it's not like they had a leg to stand on.

Which had sure not stopped them in treating him like the scum of the Earth.

In short, he'd blown up all his credit and support to keep doing the same job... but without the perks... Or the money... Or even a modicum of respect as time went by. And considering Thanos, leaving the Earth woefully unprepared.

And all the while, the merry band of morons had been gallivanting around the planet, killing people and destroying stuff right and left, without repercussions because reasons... And having a temper tantrum of epic proportions the first time they were told "no".

Which, Tony admitted, had been partly his fault. If he hadn't run himself ragged to protect their sorry asses, they might have realized earlier they were not exempt from the law. Might, mind you. He'd just learned a very pointed lesson on how far Rogers could take the *his way or the highway* thing.

Yeah, not this time.

He heard the commotion in the corridor leading to his room and steeled himself for what would be the first of a looooong series of meetings.


	3. To step aside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Priorities.  
> Tony haz them. In a nutshell? Not to die. Do some good if you can, but mostly not to die.

Well, he sure had not realized it at the time (thanks for nuthing, Obie!), but his abduction had sure stirred up stuff in the alphabet soup that lived and thrived around the Pentagon and in DC.   
So, it was not all that hard, relatively speaking, to get the secret services, the CIA, the FBI... Or even the Texas Rangers, for all Tony knew, to cooperate.

Stark weapons were the best and the Army loved them, but by the same token, they sure didn't want to see them in other hands (alright, in very selected other hands). And when Tony hinted at the possibility that the flying armor he'd used to escape could be refined and maybe available to the Air Force, he'd been briefly afraid that general was going to kiss him.

Which, no. Eww. (not that Tony was adverse on principle, but short, balding with a big varicosed shnotz, was not his thing. Yep, call him picky.)

Not that it was going to change a lot. Contrary to what Rogers & al thought, the armor was NOT doing all the work. Go tell a jet fighter pilot that the plane does all the work... And then run very fast, 'cause that's not bound to go down well.  
In fact, jet fighters and astronauts were the only ones likely to ever get into a suit and be able to manage it without crashing it in the next ten seconds... Well, them and JARVIS (note to self: find a way to make the iron legion palatable to the public). And his Platypus, of course (and he was killing the Iron Patriot thing in the egg, this time).

Not to mention the price for armors that had to be custom-made for each pilot, so yeah, not for all the troops.  
But there was a difference between point bland refusing like he'd done previously... Or let them draw their own conclusion on what the Army could afford or not, because gold/titanium alloy is pricey, and that's before Tony did anything with it..  
But they didn't know that yet, and anyway, he sure had other possibilities, like the body armors he'd refined for the Avengers. Those would do nicely, once Starkium production was up and running.

With the added bonus to shake Wakanda's superiority complex a bit, once they realized Starkium was basically synthetic Vibranium. Tony could barely wait, he still had that "let them come" in his ears. 

Anyway, Starkium was the most pressing order of business once he got back home, since he really didn't have fond memories of his bout of heavy metal poisoning from last time. Also, not building a Haldron collider on his lonesome this time, when he had a perfectly good and functional lab at SI.  
Also, if it was build "in house" so to speak, it was going to make all those patents bloody airtight, which was just what he needed. Starkium, arc reactors...

And the prosthetics.

Now there was something straight out of Iron man tech that could be REALLY positive to veterans and all, and Tony could kick himself for not having thought of that before his Platypus had been hurt.   
There was a place where he could do real good for a lot of people AND get some real goodwill out of it. 

When he'd raised the idea at the end of one meeting, the brass who'd been leaving had stopped dead in their tracks, and then gone back to circle his hospital bed like a bunch of joyful barracudas.

At this point, he could probably have asked for a hot chocolate and bedtime story from the President, and nobody would have raised an eyebrow. What he wanted, however, was Stane's head on a platter... Not that he could tell them that. He just helped them to reach that conclusion.

Once you knew where to look, (and JARVIS was busy looking, per Tony's instructions) it was not very difficult to see what Obie and his cronies had been up to... And also gave Tony the answer to why his godfather had suddenly decided to kill the golden goose (note to self: find that damm cat and take him to the tower): Stane had gotten greedier in recent years, and by extension sloppy, to the point it was only a matter of time for Tony to stumble on something sooner or later. Probably sooner, and Obie didn't fancy the idea of prison, when he was concerned.

Not that it was likely to happen anyway. An extremely polite gentleman who didn't introduce himself but was probably from the CIA had quietly hinted at an *alternate solution*, and Tony had not protested. After all, in another life, he'd had to do the deed himself.

Since he was NOT a professional assassin, contrary to what Wanda had claimed and the rest of the ingrates had supported (even if at least two of them should have known better), Tony was all for letting someone else to take care of the problem.

And Stane was too dangerous anyway. Peggy Carter and SHIELD were not the only ones who'd covered his parents murder, Stane going as far as saying he's witnessed the *accident*. Looking back on it, Tony had to wonder if his godfather had been only a corrupt piece of shit or HYDRA (why not both?).

Anyway, he didn't fancy reliving another attempted murder (how was this his life again?), so if someone arranged for a convenient accident, he was not opposed.

So, on one fine morning, Tony climbed on his private jet (after it'd been thoroughly gone over with the proverbial fine comb by the secret services), and at the same time the FBI showed both at SI and at Obie's place. Then Stane tried to run, and in the subsequent car chase, *lost control* of his vehicle on a tight spin and exploded at the bottom of a convenient cliff, with at least half a dozen FBI agents watching him burn to a crisp.  
Not that Obie was a bad driver, but it's admittedly hard to steer when you got your brain pulverized by an explosive bullet.

The CIA is sort of efficient that way.

Obie's death had two effects: One, the criminal investigation was extinct, even if various federal agencies fell on Obie's estate like a pack of suited vultures. Tony did not care about that, they were welcome to the loot. Two, his cronies suddenly found themselves on the front line, and of course rats couldn't jump ship fast enough. 

JARVIS quietly bought enough shares of SI during the panic to ensure Tony had control of the board. It made a dent in his private funds, but not as bad as he had feared, since his captivity had brought SI shares to an all time low, that even news of his rescue had not corrected yet. Now with all the board and a few high ranking employees panic and flailing around, JARVIS got more than he needed dirt cheap.

Not a problem, Tony knew of a very competent CEO.


	4. My right hand AI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Planning. Because "run before you walk" may be fun, but not always.

But first things first.

There was one person, and one person only, Tony could trust with the whole truth.

"Welcome home..." The lab lit up with screening upon screening of his own body "... Sir"

"You doubted it, JARVIS? You should have said something." Tony sat down and patted DUM-E and U claws, eliciting excited beeps.

"You were not doing anything susceptible to harm Sir, even if... You weren't you. Those decisions were not reflective of the Tony Stark I know, however."

"JARVIS, I do have a VERY long story to tell you."

And it was indeed a long story. Eidetic memory, people. Tony had, in fact, trouble forgetting things.  
Not that he hadn't tried other the years.PTSDD was not easy to cure for anyone, but for somebody who was able to recall every. single. thing. and in excruciating details? Funsies.

NOT.

It took Tony almost two days to tell Jarvis everything. The AI asked very few questions, storing the data instead. And Tony was not idle while he talked either, calling up his personal keyboard and boosting JARVIS security to the latest he'd given FRI before going to the fated German airport.

"I see." JARVIS said at last "What is the plan, sir? Since you already changed things from what you told me happened."

"And I'll keep doing it. I may lose the hindsight at some point, but I'm not so fond of how things turned out last time. Not fond enough to relive it, at any rate. And well, I have changed, but I don't think anybody else did. So, we can expect Fury & co to show up at some point, invited or not.  
Speaking of which, JAR, whatever happens, do take the time to up and secure your backing servers. I will NOT lose you again."

There was a brief moment of silence, then the AI sort of coughed "I will endeavor not to disappoint, Sir."

"You never did, JARVIS. But Vision... I know it wasn't his fault, but hearing your voice while..."

"He betrayed you." 

Tony sighed "I guess so, in a way. His love story with a psycho who was fond of saying she wanted me dead was not something I enjoyed. Mind you, I'm not angry at him. He was a child, in many ways... And let's face it, the least you can say about the Avengers is that they were not a healthy environment to grow up in."

There was a moment of silence, then the genius clapped his hands together. 

"But priorities! One, got to synthesize Starkium, since nobody will let me call it Badassium, a vastly superior name..."

"That is a point where we differ, I'm afraid, Sir. And how are we going to proceed?"

"As fast as possible, for one. Last time was..." There was another moment of silence the AI hurried to break.

"I think the term you are looking for, Sir, is *courting disaster*"

"The sass, JARVIS, the sass! ... Even if you're not wrong. At least I only have to write down the research this time. Do we have a particle accelerator at SI R&D yet?"

"Actually, Sir, you ordered one just before you left for Afghanistan, and it has been build. It is in the upstate NY facility."

"Perfect! Allrighty, JARVIS. We're going to revive the Stark expo like last time, hopefully with less Hammer and Russian interference. THAT will give me the opportunity to study that old model again, if anyone asks question later on how I came about the new element. Anyway, perfect occasion to contact some people about branching out: I have a hunch putting Maya Hansen and Helen Cho in the same lab could lead to great things... I want to get SI to expand into medicine in a big way, Jarv."

"Prosthetics as you said, Sir?"

"Well, the Iron man tech would be invaluable, for those... And once we get into nanites... Yes, this does have wonderful prospects, not even mentioning a way to pull the rug under Killian's feet. The man won't get saner, so we'll have to keep an eye on him, but people are lest likely to turn themselves into living bombs if there is an alternative... One should hope."

"And SHIELD, Sir?

"Well, we do have some time. We didn't need Agent this time to deal with Obie, so they don't have their foot in the door. I have no doubt Fury knows about the palladium core and will reach his own conclusions, but like last time, he's likely to wait for me to become desperate before showing his face. Likely to send his pet spider nosing around, but the Stane thing gives us all sorts of marvelous reasons to tighten security and new applicants review, don't you think?"

"It certainly would be reason enough, considering the joint internal and FBI audit of SI, Sir."

I'm certain they're bound to find ALL SORTS of interesting things, JARVIS. In any case, if anything resembling a Natalie Rushman as I described her to you show up at SI, just have her go through the process with a female HR employee.  
Contrary to what the dear Widow thinks, she's not infallible, and about three quarters of her tricks are of the honeypot variety. Bound to go south quite quickly with another female... of the straight variety, that is.

And JARVIS?"

"Yes Sir?"

"We do have Captain America's giant Frisbee in storage. Have it melted."


	5. of Shields and SHIELD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisbee time! Also, some Tony and JARVIS plotting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys!  
> I had fun reading the amiable bickering about the giant Frisbee in the last chapter comments, so here you go, one extra chapter so everybody will be happy (I hope)  
> No pepper, still much salt. ;)

"Melted Sir?"

"And refined. If memory serves, that thing was a vibranium/iron alloy. I need the vibranium."

"May I ask why?" JARVIS inquired.

"Sure you can. With all what I had to do for the Ingrates, research had to go on the back burner these past years, but I do recall I noted some similarities between Starkium and Vibranium, according to Howard's notes. I need to test that, and thoroughly, before publishing anything."

"We do have an item somewhat similar in storage, Sir, but I'm afraid it doesn't look..." Tony threw a glance at the holo display and waved a hand.

"Nah, that's the thing. The original one.   
I don't think Rogers ever knew, but Howard was a bit more even keeled about him before he did his Capsicle thing. It's later it turned into an obsession and a semi religion, with Peggy as the high priestess: They both build the Captain America legend... And then they started believing it.  
Anyway, to cut the story short, Vibranium was always extremely valuable, and at the time, dear old dad was not all that rich yet. So, that Frisbeee was collateral to a few loans Howard contracted to build his business.  
Never quite got why he just let Rogers have it to start with... Until I met Captain What'smineismineandwhat'syoursisminetoo, that is.  
So, either the Board made some noise because the thing wasn't on inventory anymore, or dear old dad wanted his vibranium back, so he switched it for an Adamantium one at the first opportunity. And then he played a bit with his very own toy, since he had it back."

"And Mr Rogers didn't say a thing?" JARVIS tone was slightly doubtful, but Tony only shrugged.

"Dunno. I'd say he didn't notice the difference, so as long as he thought it was HIS shield, everything was good in Asshole Land, I guess. Howard must have refined the curve a little so it would Frisbee better, and as for the weigh, I guess the difference was not that noticeable for a super soldier. Don't really care, to be honest.

Oh, and while we are talking about idiots, Jarv, I need you to send a note to PR and Legal: We are going to change policy with the Press. From now on, we're going to sue when they cross the line. Every time. And in the serious cases, we're gonna take away the ads."

"Is this wise, Sir? You were always good with the Press."

"Was I really? Unfortunately, it's too late not to have sex with Everhart, but even if she led the pack, the others weren't far behind. That was a Obie policy, Jar, and like all Obie policies, it was not done with my interests in mind. Ever wondered why I was the only billionaire treated that way?   
Try slandering Bezos or Gates this way and you'll see a squadron of lawyers descends on you.   
Me, I was fair game.  
I was the irresponsible genius that could be let to play in his lab, but Heavens forbid I get out of it and touch something serious like business. The fact that all my shortcomings, either real or imaginary, ended up on the front page ensured that."

"That and the fact you don't like business, Sir."

"I like business just fine. I dislike having to explain myself over and over again to a bunch of old guys who basically distrust me because they don't understand physics, and always viewed me as too young, then too irresponsible, to be taken seriously.   
Basic fact that I was making all the stuff that made them rich notwithstanding.  
Nah, the Press has to get in line, it will make our job easier in the long run. And while, you're in the mail business, contact my platypus to know when he'd be free to come see me. Once you got his date, lock it with Peps and Happy."

"I do hope it is to *come clean*, Sir?"

"Yep. If I ever did one stupid thing, it was to cut me off the real friends I had at that moment. Left the door wide open for all sorts of vermin infestation.  
Also, got to strategize. Pepper was the best CEO SI ever had, but I want to ease her into it this time. Once that bunch get used to have her *relay* my instructions, it'll be a smoother transition.   
Another thing, not putting Happy through the *Iron Man bodyguard* torture again. He was a damm good head of security, even with his problematic relationship with spiders.   
And of course my honeybear to liaise with uncle Sam."

"And me, Sir?"

"Oh, JARVIS, we gonna be really busy, you and I, but I trust you to keep an eye on SHIELD. Once Nathashalie goes down the sprout, you can be sure they're gonna try to hack this place. We've got to give them tit-for-tat.  
Also, got to find how deep the roots go in SI... I would be nice if the FBI investigation would be the ones to find that... And to see their reactions. The post Data dump mess led me to believe that the FBI, CIA, and the rest of the alphabet soup knew about them, but that one, they weren't very popular... Two, no one was really sure where they belonged exactly. I've begun to wonder if the local mailman had more federal legal authority than Fury did.

Probably going to be fun to find out, won't it JARVIS?"

The moment of silence that followed was very telling, and so was the dryness of the AI's voice as he answered.

"If you say so, Sir."

Tony laughed. Truly and really laughed. 

It had been years.

 

It was good to be back.


	6. Sushi, cheeseburger and pizza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fine dinner amongst real friends, and some more planning   
> Apparently, freezing your ass off in a Siberian bunker makes one a tad less impulsive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the unreliable posting, but I have other obligations that took over most of my writing time. It should be better in another month or so, sorry.

Rhodey looked at the dinner table in the kitchen, frowned, and said:

"Okay, you can come clean now. Where's the fire?"

"Wha...?" Tony was a bit taken aback, and Rhodey rolled his eyes and pointed at the table.

"C'mon Tones, that's Happy fav cheeseburger, Pepper preferred sushi place... And something that is not a NY pizza, but a Philly one. So, who died and where do we stash the body?"

Tony looked at the other two and saw they were right behind his platypus. Ah, well, he should have expected it, he usually didn't befriend idiots (And the Avengers weren't his friends, so no, they didn't count). So he took a deep breath (or as deep as he could take it these days), and dropped the bad news:

"Sorry guys, but there's no easy way to say it: I'm slowly dying."

"WHAT!!?" Was the horrified chorus, so Tony hurried on.

"But it is not irreversible! I just need your help, guys." He said as Pepper pinned him with her best dragon glare, Happy sighed, and Rhodey went into serious Army man mode.

"Explain."

"It's the Arc reactor. It is keeping me alive, so I need it... But Palladium has its own risks..."

"Heavy metal poisoning." Rhodey said to the horrified gasps of the other two.

"You need to get rid of it!" Pepper exclaimed.

"That's the plan, but I need a substitute. Yes, I know it wasn't that you meant, Peps, but removing it completely is just a faster way to die. The statistics on what my chances of survival are if I try to have the shrapnel surgically removed are not looking good either."

"You're between a rock and a hard place, then, Boss. What do you plan to do about it?" Happy said. Tony picked up a breadstick and munched on it, trying to send the signal for the others to get on with the food. Pepper was looking a little to pale for his liking.

"Need to find a substitute to the Palladium. Used it mostly because that's what I had on hand, so to speak, and it was sure better than a car battery, but I need to look to alternate sources. Unfortunately, the obvious substitutes all have unfortunate side effects, so I need to dig a little deeper. That's where SI R&D comes in... And JARVIS, of course. I'm confident we'll find something, but I need to concentrate on that in the near future."

"Of course, Tones."

"Yeah, well, some people may be less understanding, so I need you guys to keep them at bay for me till I find a fix. The Board, for starters. Sure, with the Obie thing and rats jumping ship, JARVIS was able to buy stock. Enough of it that I have control of the board. Still, they're here, and to be honest, I trust that lot just as far as I can throw them. Need someone to keep them in line, sooo... Oh, Pepppppeeeerrrr! "

Said Pepper did a very good deer in headlights impression. Tony was so used to the hyper competent CEO that he'd almost forgotten how vulnerable she'd been in those early days.

"Me?" She squeaked (Tony sure hoped JARVIS was recording, because knowing what he knew, that moment was gold)

"Yep, you. If you can keep ME in line, I'm pretty sure you can whip those old farts in place. So, here's how we going to play it: I'll appoint you CEO, and I'll go before the board to explain it's a temporary kind of thing, due to health issues after my ordeal kinda thing, and that I will be the one driving anyway. In reality? You boss.  
Can always call me if you have questions or anything, or if one of those guys have a case of *old rich white man* you can't handle, though I doubt it."

"But temporary, right?" Pepper asked a bit uncertainly, even though Tony saw a familiar light in those eyes. The board didn't stand a chance. He smirked.

"Temporary is a very useful word that can cover LOTS. And who knows? You may find you like it. So, you accept?

She nodded "I'll do my best for you and SI, Tony."

"Great! Congratulation, boss." He was a bit surprised when she hopped off her chair and hugged him. From what he'd seen in that bunker, their relationship had been one of the most positive thing in his previous life... But it had been such a tire fire otherwise that he'd mostly decided to let things run their course and not try to force the issue. It's not like he was going to lack heirs anyway... No, there lay madness, he reminded himself. So...

"Happ..."

"If you think I'm going to leave your side now, Boss, you got another thing coming"

"Nah. I trust you to keep me safe and those pesky reporters at bay. But once I'm deep in the bowels of R&D with my..."

"Minions" Rhodey interjected with a smile, and the others smiled too. Everytime Tony eschewed his private labs to pay a visit to R&D labs anywhere, the scientists did a very good imprinted ducklings impression, at least the first day. It was kinda cute, in a way.  
And it always embarrassed Tones when it was pointed out, and today was no exception.

"Erm, yes, well... Anyway. Once I'm there, apart a lab incident, I'm somewhat safe. So I'd like you to go over SI security... I wonder what other stuff might have festered in there under Ob...Stane rule. And I wouldn't object if you kept an eye on the FBI while you're at it. JARVIS will help."

"And me, Tones?"

"I'd say keep the brass happy, but you know that. Some of those guys are not going to prioritize my health versus more toys... Even if that means no more later. On the other hand, getting them occupied with cleaning up the latest mess would be nice, but I'll try to get on a few side projects... By the way, Peps, I'd like to have the Stark expo model taken up to my R&D office... I'll prioritize the prosthetics, since it should be the fastest to implement. Also..." Tony hesitated, and Rhodey frowned.

"Also what? C'mon, Tony, even you can't be dying twice!"

Tony barked a laugh. How wrong his platypus was!

"No, not that. The flying armor thing? Maybe a tiny bit expensive?" He suggested. Rhodey frowned.

"How expensive?"

"A couple of jet fighters worth at the very cheapest? You may want to break that gently to the Air Force. Not mentioning that finding people able to fly those is going to be difficult... And that the upkeep and maintenance is likely to be costly too."

"But you're still going to build some, right?"

Tony shrugged. He had no intention to walk the same path, especially regarding the Morons, but so much of his work in the last years had been around Iron man and the Ingrates. A lot of good tech could be borne out of Iron man. He'd always wanted to expand on that, but never really had the time, since he was running himself ragged to cover Rogers ass. At least all the hours he'd spent on the Avengers suits and tech wouldn't be entirely wasted, the Army would likely be delighted.  
Except for Barfton's stuff. The archer had been a waste of space in more ways than one. Come to think of it, he was as shitty as a sniper as Natashalie was as a spy: What good are you if everyone knows it's you killing people with arrows?  
And why, WHY had he gotten so suckered in with that bunch?  
He'd sure fared better as a solo act... Although there would be some changes there, too.

"At least a couple. I have ideas *you got NO idea, honeybear*, but I need to see how they're likely to turn out. Some of the tech should be adaptable to other things, anyway."

"Alright, I can work with that. The prosthetics will bring good press, so that'll keep them happy. Now, to the big question: How long before we can stop worrying about you?"

"I hope never, Honeybear." Tony retorted "But this?" he rapped his chest lightly. "Probably faster than you think."

"Well, we shall see how that is by the times my mum manages to corner you. You know she will, Tones." Tony opened his mouth "I'm not lying to my mom."

Tony sighed. The threat was real: His platypus was no patsy, but his mother was a regular terror "I promise, Rhodey. No need to involve Mama. I'll get well soon."

"You'd better." His platypus answered, and then lifted a pizza slice, to signal a lovely meal should be had by all.


End file.
